Gedanotropis, Szwedo & Stroiński, 2017

Szwedo, Jacek & Stroiński, Adam, 2017, Who’s that girl? A singular Tropiduchidae planthopper from the Eocene Baltic amber (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), Palaeontologia Electronica 16 (2), pp. 1-20 : 5-9

Genus GEDANOTROPIS gen. nov.

zoobank.org/ 9284D976-9799-4E2C-A353-765DD4A50750

Type species. Gedanotropis sontagae sp. nov., designated herein and by monotypy.

SZWEDO & STROIŃSKI: TROPIDUCHID FROM BALTIC AMBER

Etymology. Generic name is derived from old Latin name of City of Gdańsk, Gedanum, and Ancient Greek noun ΤΡόΠ-ΙΣ; ΤΡόΠΙΔ-οΣ (tróp-is, trópid-os) meaning keel of the ship, and being the core for generic name Tropiduchus (from Ancient Greek ΤΡόΠ-ΙΣ (trop-is) and ἜΧΩ (ékhō): have, hold, possess, of property). Gender: masculine; 3rd declension.

Diagnosis. Head with compound eyes narrower than pronotum. Vertex wider than long in mid line, with all margins carinate. Frons with lateral margin elevated. Mesonotum with lateral carinae connected at base. Base of tegmen strongly curved; costal area reaching half of tegmen length, wide at base, tapered apicad, with regular transverse veinlets; postcostal cell distinctly narrower than costal area; main stems forked in following sequence: ScP+R(+MA) forks first very shortly after the basal cell; MP forks later but very early in the first fifth on the tegmen separating a very long C3; CuA forks at mid length of clavus; all stems forked again in basal ⅓ of tegmen length; single apical line of transverse veinlets present. Hind wing with two transverse veinlets rp-mp and mp-cua present. Metatibia with 5 lateral spines and 8 apical teeth. Apex of anal tube exceeding posterior margin of gonoplac. Lateral portions of female pregenital sternite narrower than median portion, tapering laterad.

Description. Head with compound eyes about as wide as mesonotum; vertex wider than long in mid line, with all margins distinctly carinate; anterior margin widely quoin-shaped, posterior margin arcuately incised, lateral margins merely longer than length at midline, parallel; disc of vertex without median carina ( Figures 2.2 , 4.1, 4.3 ). Vertex and frons connected at right angle. Frons with lateral margins elevated, median carina keel-shaped. Disc of frons between median carina and lateral margins with parallel ledges, not reaching dorsal margin nor frontoclypeal suture. Compound eyes bulging, higher than wide in lateral view, with small posteroventral callus. Ocellus present, at cross of anterior and lower margins lines. Antennal fovea elevated, placed under the compound eye, close to it ventral margin, scapus as long as wide, pedicel about twice as long as wide, a bit wider apically than at base, antennal plate organs present in apical and dorsal portion to half of pedicel length ( Figures 2.1-2 , 4.1-2, 4.5 ).

Frontoclypeal suture angulate. Clypeus with elevated median carina and without lateral carinae; median portion, below frontoclypeal suture, slightly convex ( Figures 2.2 , 4.2, 4.5 ).

Rostrum ( Figure 4.5 ) 4-segmented, all segments well sclerotised; 1st basal segment longer than wide, 2nd basal segment the shortest, with triangular membranous part at base, subapical segment the longest, apical segment distinctly longer than wide, shorter than subapical one; apex of rostrum reaching base of hind coxae.

Pronotum ( Figures 2.1 , 4.1, 4.3 ) longer than vertex in mid line, anterior margin angulately incised, with apex reaching half of compound eyes length; posterior margin widely arcuate; disc of pronotum delimited by strongly elevated, carinate anterior margin, not stepping on paradiscal field of pronotum, posterior margin distinctly elevated, disc of pronotum lacking median carina; plane of disc of pronotum above plane of disc of vertex.

Mesonotum ( Figures 2.1 , 4.1, 4.3 ) longer in mid line than cumulative length of vertex and pronotum, anterior margin rounded, posterior margin angulate; disc of mesonotum with plane area distinctly elevated above plane area of pronotum, flat, delimited by lateral carinae connected at base; disc of mesonotum distinctly shifted from anterior margin, lateral margins widely diverging posterolaterad to the level of lateral angles of mesonotum, then angulately curved, converging posteromediad at short distance and not reaching posterior margin of mesonotum.

Tegula huge, without carina.

Profemur ( Figure 4.5 ) slightly laterally compressed, subpentagonal in cross section, dorsal margin with row of short setae, anteroventral ridge with row of short thorns apically; protibia subtriangular in cross section; basitarsomere short, midtarsomere and apical tarsomere subequal in length, tarsal claws huge, arolium wide.

Mesofemur ( Figure 4.5 ) slightly longer than profemur, subpentagonal in cross section, dorsal margin with row of short setae, anteroventral ridge with row of short thorns apically; mesotibia longer than protibia, subtriangular in cross section; basitarsomere short, midtarsomere and apical tarsomere subequal in length, tarsal claws huge, arolium wide.

Metacoxa large, metacoxal process invisible.

Metafemur ( Figure 2.5 ) slightly flattened, ventral margins ridged; metatibia long, with 5 lateral spines (the basal one not clear on left metatibia) and a row of 8 apical teeth; basitarsomere longer than cumulative length of mid- and apical tarsomeres, with row of 7 apical teeth; midtarsomere short, with lateral teeth distinct, median lobe distinct, with apical margin extending apices of lateral teeth, covered with dense and strong setae; apical tarsomere shorter than basitarsomere, tarsal claws distinct with subbasal teeth with two setae, arolium wide.

Tegmen ( Figures 2.3 , 3 , 4.3, 4.4 ) about 2.5 times as long as wide, membranous, with dense and distinct venation. Costal margin strongly curved at base, then almost straight, parallel to posterior margin; anteroapical angle widely rounded, apical margin round, with breaking point at about median axis of tegmen, posteroapical angle widely angulate, tornus (postclaval margin) absent, apex of clavus exceeding ¾ of tegmen length, clavus closed, acute. Costal area well developed, very wide at base, tapering toward apex, intersected with slightly oblique veinlets, slightly exceeding half of tegmen length. Postcostal cell narrower than costal area, tapering distad, with a few transverse veinlets. Basal cell longer than wide. Stem ScP+RA and stem RP(+MA) leaving basal cell with a very short stalk, stem ScP+RA distinctly curved at base, forked distad of stem RP(+MA) forking, reaching anterior margin basad of anteroapical angle with 8 terminals; stem RP(+MA) forked at level of branch MP 1+2 forking, then both branches forked again on corium, slightly basad of end of costal area; branches reaching anteroapical angle with 10 terminals. Stem MP short, forked at distance of basal cell length; branch MP 1+2 forked basad of branch MP 3+4 forking, branch MP 3+4 forked slightly apicad of stem CuA forking; branch MP 1 forked on corium, slightly basad of branch MP 2 forking, then forked basad of apical line of veinlets, reaching margin with 3 terminals; branch MP 2 forked on corium, then on membrane, basad of apical line of veinlets, reaching margin with 5 terminals; branch MP 3 forked on corium and membrane, reaching margin with 5 terminals; branch MP 4 forked on corium, apical of first forking of branch MP 3, reaching margin with 2 terminals; stem MP reaching apical margin with 15 terminals. Stem CuA forked slightly basad of branch MP 3+4 forking, branch CuA 1 forked on corium and membrane, reaching margin with 3 terminals; branch CuA 2 single. Claval veins Pcu and A 1 fused at about ½ of tegmen length, fused stem Pcu+A 1 reaching posterior margin of clavus slightly basad of apex of clavus.

Cell C1 longer than cell C3, closed posteriorly with transverse veinlet placed apicad of ScP+R and RP 1 (+MA) forkings. Cell C2 shorter than cell C1, closed with transverse veinlet 1r-mp apicad of RP(+MA) and MP 1+2 forkings. Cell C3 about 1.5 times as long as cell C2, closed with transverse veinlet 1im placed apicad of stem MP 2 first forking. Cell C4 longer than cell C2, closed by transverse veinlet mp-cua placed slightly apicad of branch MP 3+4 and CuA forkings. Cell C5 the shortest, closed with icua veinlet basad of claval veins junction.

Several not regularly dispersed veinlets on remigium present, and arcuate apical line of veinlets present. Clavus with four transverse veinlets between CuP and Pcu, two transverse veinlets between Pcu and A 1 basad of junction.

Functional nodal line of transverse veinlets absent; corium with sparse transverse veinlets; membrane with dense and irregular net of transverse veinlets, apical line of veinlets distinctly developed. Apical cells longer than wide.

Hind wing ( Figures 2.4 , 4.3-4 ) slightly shorter than forewing, wide, without costal area, with angulate anteroapical angle and only 2 transverse veinlets rp-mp, and mp-cua. Stem ScP+R(+MA) forked basad of wing coupling lobe, ScP+RA 1 short, oblique, reaching margin at level of transverse veinlets rp-mp and mp-cua; terminal RA 2 reaching margin distinctly basad of anterior angle of hind wing with single terminal. Branch RP(+MA) forked from ScP+R(+MA) distinctly basad of rp-mp veinlet, at level of branch CuA 1 first forking forked distinctly apicad of rp-mp veinlet; branch RP 1+2 forked slightly apicad of rp-mp veinlet, with two terminals reaching margin basad of anteroapical angle; terminal RP 3 (+MA) reaching margin at anteroapical margin. Stem MP forked apicad of stem ScP+R forking, at level of branch CuA 1 first forking; branch MP 1+2 forked slightly apicad of transverse veinlet rp-mp, basad of branch MP 3+4 forking, reaching margin with four terminals MP 1a and MP 1b, forking basad of terminals MP 2a and MP 2b forking; branch MP 3+4 forked apicad of branch MP 1+2 forking, terminal MP 3 single, terminal MP 4 forked just before apex; stem M reaching margin with 7 terminals in total. Stem CuA multiforked, first furcation slightly basad of stem ScP+R forking; branch CuA 1 forked again at level of stem MP furcation, branch CuA 1a reaching margin as single terminal, branch CuA 1b forked again distinctly basad of mp-cua veinlet, reaching margin with two terminals; branch CuA 2 forked sequentially downwards, first terminal, CuA 2c forked slightly apicad of branch CuA 1b forking, at level of branch ScP+RA forking, second terminal, CuA 2b forked at level of transverse veinlets rp-mp and mp-cua, terminal CuA 2a parallel to CuA 1b2, terminals CuA 2b and CuA 2c parallel, shifted to end of CuP. Stem CuP single, reaching margin basad of end of RA 2 terminal.

Female terminalia ( Figures 2.6 , 4.6 ). Pregenital sternite with distinct transverse bulbosity at base, and two eminences; lateral portions tapering laterad, directed posterolaterally; posterior margin strongly deflected, basally of this deflection two rounded cavities, transversely striated, incised deeply at margin deflection, separated by triangular ridge. Anal tube elongate, oval, with apex exceeding posterior margin of gonoplacs. Gonoplac rounded, with obtusely rounded pyramidal eminence medially; posterior margin with narrow, elongate, membranous part, placed below half of gonoplac height, without denticles (smooth).

Type horizon. Middle Eocene.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. 1, Head, pronotum and mesonotum, dorsal view; 2, face, ventrolateral view; 3, tegmen (venation partly reconstructed); 4, hind wing (visible portion); 5, left hind leg; and 6, female genital block.

FIGURE 3. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. tegmen venation with veins, cells and areas indicated.

FIGURE 4. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. 1, Anterior portion of the body; 2, head in lateral view; 3, habitus of the specimen; 4, tegmen and hind wing; 5, body in lateroventral view; and 6, female genital block (ventrolateral view).